Well-boring apparatus.



W. G. KNAPP.

WELL BORING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1914.

1 gamma. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

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WILLIAM G. KNAPP, OF ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

WELL-BORING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed February 24, 1914. Serial No. 820,745.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. Knarr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alhambra, 'in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Well-BoringApparatus, of which the following is a specification. h

This invention relates to we-ll boring ap paratus, and more particularlyto well boring apparatus for producing deep oil and other wells; and ithas for its object to provide apparatus of the general character statedconcerned in the handling and rotation of the boring or drilling string,in the making up and breaking up of the same.

The invention has for particular objects the provision of apparatus ofthe general nature stated which will be superior in point of relativesimplicity and inexpensiveness of construction and organization combinedwith facility and convenience in application and use and handling,positiveness in operation, strength and durability, and which will begenerally superior in'eiiiciency and serviceability.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the.novel and useful provision, formation, construction,combination,ass0ciation and relative arrangement and combination ofparts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in thedrawings, and finally pointed out in the claim.

Certain features of construction and combination of parts and featuresherein disclosed are claimed in another application filed by me June 26,1913, Serial Number for well boring apparatus, in which application thepresent invention is also disclosed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of-certain features ofwell boring or drilling apparatus, showing a portion of a drillingstring as supported in an elevated position by means of a deviceembodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line ac -m of Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the sockets withinwhich the outer ends of the inclined props are received.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the jaws for supporting the string ina raised position.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the samereference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawings, A designates the baseframe of a rotary well drilling or boring apparatus, the same being inuse installed at the orifice of the well hole, and supporting uponanti-friction devices 6 a rotary table or top B, the base frame and tophaving registering vertical central openings, 7 and 8, which are aboveand register with the orifice of the well, and through which thedrillingor boring string, sections or joints C which are shown in thedrawings, is raised and lowered in the operations of making up andbreaking up and rotating the string with its boring or drilling tools atthe lower end thereof. The rotary top is provided with an annular seriesof gear teeth 8 meshing with a gear '9 upon a drive shaft 10 included inoperating means D for the rotary table or top, and the construction andorganization of the base frame, rotary top, drilling or boring stringand operating means may be varied in accordance with preference, and arenot directly concerned in the issues 'of the invention.

F designates ameans of operative connection between the rotary top andthe string, comprising specifically supporting means or members forsuspendin the string or holding it in position of vertical adjustment,durlng the making up or breaking up of the string. This means F forsupporting the drilling string while making up or breaking up the sameis designed to be used interchangeably with, and in combination with agripping and rotating means, such as that shown in my copendingapplication Serial No. 775,873, filed June 26, 1913. The drilling stringsupporting means F is constructed to be associated in use with anannular support I) applied to and disposed upon the rotary ing of abroad and "strong metallic .ring resting at its lower surface upon theupper surface of the rotary top and detachably coupled therewith byremovable pins 11, the ends of which ass vertically through suitablebores in the ring and are received in suitable holes in the table ortop, the heads of such pins being counter-sunk beneath the top surfaceof the ring 5. is ring has table or top B, and consista continuous outerperipheral lip or ledge 12 resting upon the top B, its lower'surfacebeing flush with the lower surface of the ring 5.

The means of operative connection F comprises a plurality of segmentalvertically extended bodies 29 each of which is provided with anoutwardly ranging pivoted leg or prop 30 having at its outer end shortlateral projecting gudgeons 31, said outer ends being rounded so thatthey may be socketed into curved seats 32 formed in the base ring 5 andproduced inwardly and downwardly from the inner periphery of such ringand equally spaced apart. Said curved seats 32 are provided withlaterally extended openings 33 opening inwardly through contractedmouths 34 and which receive the gudgeons 31. The gudgeons 31 can bepassed into the contracted mouths 34 of said openings 33 when turned tobring the flat sides thereof into alinement therewith, said gudgeonsbeing of flattened formation; but when the respectlve leg or prop 30 istilted to turn the gudgeons after their insertion within 'the extensions33', they are held by the walls of such extensions from withdrawal. Eachof the legs 30 is pivotally pinned to its respective body 29, as at 35,through an enlarged or elongated opening in the leg or prop, whichpermits the respective end of the latter to have unobstructed thrustaction against the body. The inner or working face of each body ispreferably transversely serrated or roughened as at 36 for grippingaction upon the string, the serrations eing so formed as to permitupward but prevent downward movement of the string when the grippingbodies are in operative engagement therewith.

The bodies overlap each other in a series surrounding the string, as at37, so that the bodies are held to the string in unison, and thedownward vertical separation or relative play of the same is prevented.This keeps .the bodies all in a properly assembled group in engagementwith the string. Each of said bodies may be provided with a hand hold orgrip 38, and each of the legs or props is preferably shaped to afford aconvenient and effective grip or hold, and the bodies with their propsor legs 30 are thus conveniently manipulated in putting them into placeor removing them.

The operation, method of use and advantages of the improved well boringapparatus constituting the invention will be readily understood from theforegoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsand the following statement: 1

The bodies 29, when assembled in a series around the string and heldthereto by the props or legs 30 extending from the bodies to the basering, serve effectively to sustain the weight of the string during itsmaking up or breaking up or whenever it may be desired to support thestring at the orifice of the hole. Such bodies and their props areconveniently installed or removed, and safely and positively impart theweight of the string to the base ring and through that to the table ortop. The bodies may rise and fall with the string, being confined toplace by the props 30 which serve as working link connections betweenthe bodies and the table.

It is manifest that I may make many and varied changes and variations inthe construction, assemblage, application and combination of parts andfeatures, at'variance with the organization herein specificallydescribed and illustrated in the drawing, all within a fair andreasonable interpretation of the invention; andI therefore desire thatmy invention be not construed specifically to conform with theembodiment thereof herein disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

In apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination with a table orthe like; of a plurality of bodies adapted to be applied to and tosurround a string in unison to sus- WILLIAM G. KNA Pr.

Witnesses:

ALFRED H. DAEHLER, W. F. COOK.

